Blood Oath
by turbomagnus
Summary: Before the Maximals leave prehistoric Earth, Rattrap has one last thing to do...


Disclaimer: Transformers, Beast Wars and all related characters and situation are the property of Hasbro, used without permission or intent to profit, solely for entertainment purposes.

Author's Note: Blame this one on browsing TFWiki where I read that the whole 'Unicron's Spawn' thing was originally just meant to be words instead of a literal discription and the original intention was for Tarantulas to be descended from the G2 Cybertronians. At the risk of mixing my realities, I thought about how there was that, how Jhiaxis led the Cybertronians when the Transformers fought them in the G2 comics, IDW Jhiaxis being the one behind Arcee's current state, and Rattrap's references to Arcee as his 'great-aunt'... And I knew I had a story idea.

* * *

"Blood Oath"  
By J.T. Magnus, 'Turbo'

* * *

"Do you know what a blood oath is, Mr. Ness?"

"Yes."

"Good, 'cause you just took one." - Malone and Ness, 'The Untouchables'.

* * *

Tarantulas worked in his lair, finalising his plans for after the Maximals took their prisoner and left prehistoric Earth, plans that involved some of the remaining protoforms, the planet itself and unlimited power. The Predacon chuckled, it was so easy to make others think you were dead when you knew what you were doing, most fools failed in the simple task of making sure that someone they thought was dead was really dead.

It was pathetic, really.

They always expected to win; they never expected their opponents to retreat, learn and attack again with what they had learned, they expected any opponents to simply use the same plans every time because that's what they would do.

'That's why me and mine will win in the end," Tarantulas chuckled as he laid down the piece of equipment he was working with, 'We lack the flaws those fools have in abundance.'

"You should be more careful where you make your nest," Rattrap remarked from behind the scientist, "Never know who might not believe you're dead and be looking for you."

"And why, hehe, might you be looking for me, hm, Maximal?" Tarantulas asked without turning, mandibles clicking, "I believed you and the rest of your merry band were planning to take Megatron and take your leave of this world."

"They are, but I got some unfinished business," Rattrap retorted, drawing his weapon from subspace, "Ya see, I can smell our kind at a thousand clicks... cousin."

The supposed-Predacon tensed up, "I have no idea what you're talking about, vermin."

"Oh, come on," Rattrap dropped off the piece of equipment he was sitting on, "The rest of them think I'm trying to be a big-shot, talkin' out my exhaust manifolds, but you know better, don't you?"

"Perhaps I do," Tarantulas answered, hand slowly creeping across his work table, "But in case I don't, please, enlighten me as to the reason of your visit."

"Tch," Rattrap scoffed, "Like this is some bad spy vid an' I'm the villian? Forget it..."

A laser shot scorched the table next to the Predacon's hand.

"Forget it and forget about that gun while yer at it," Rattrap emphasised, "You wanna say yer so smart, go ahead and you tell me."

"Hm," Tarantulas chuckled as he slowly turned around, "Could it have anything to do with the Great War doing as much damage to the Decepticons as the Autobots? Not something a supposed descendant of the Decepticons would want to continue, would they?"

"Depends on the 'Cons they came from, don't it, eight-eyes?"

"Oh, you are a smart little rodent," Tarantulas chuckled again, "Even with all the other commanders before and after, Megatron and Optimus Prime's leadership was decisive. Remove that from both sides and the War goes on, weaking Decepticon and Autobot alike."

"Leavin' the door open for the 'Cybertronians' to take the prize," Rattrap finished, "Ain't that just like a stinkin' budded?"

"So, you weren't bluffing," Tarantulas remarked with a measured shrug, "I'm going to enjoy this all the more for that."

"Eh, that makes both of us," Rattrap answered with a tilt of his head to the side.

Before another word could be said, hatches along both side walls of the spider's lair opened and autodefence turrets deployed. As they began firing at him, Rattrap used his free hand to summon his rarely-used whip from subspace and lashed out with it, catching one of the turrets and with a pull of the whip pulling it off its mountings. Quickly throwing himself backwards and passing between two more turrets, their auto-targetting systems were unable to keep up with the Maximal and instead locked onto each other before firing, each melting the opposing laser into a semi-molten pile of slag. As he landed on his feet, rapid shots from Rattrap's blaster turned the companion to the first turret and two other turrets into scrap to finish it off.

Rattrap raised his blaster and blew smoke away from the firing-heated barrel, "Now, what was that you were fixin' to try, bug-breath?"

"Oh, nothing, he-he, just... this!" Tarantulas slammed a hand down on a control hidden on his work table.

Energy spears shot out of the walls directly towards where Rattrap was standing, reacting on instinct, the sabotuer twisted himself forward and out of the way of the first volley only to see a second coming towards him. Quickly he twisted again, the repeated motions looking almost like steps to a dance if anyone had seen and cared to notice. Although Rattrap had avoided the latest form of the lair's defences, the momentary distraction was all Tarantulas needed to take the offensive and he caught Rattrap across the face with a forearm as the Maximal came to a stop. Slightly disoriented by his evasions and his opponent's attacks, Rattrap dropped his blaster but brought his hands up and wrapped them around Tarantulas' still-extended forearm. Twisting in place once so that Tarantulas was now behind him and then a second time so that they were facing towards the back of the lair, Rattrap used his weight as a counter-balance to throw his opponent over his shoulder and send him flying through the air until the spider's forward motion was stopped by the lair's wall. Senses reeling from the impact, Tarantulas slid to the floor, headfirst down the wall.

Reaching down, Rattrap picked up his blaster before walking over and putting his foot on Tarantulas' chest while placing the blaster to the spider's head.

"Go ahead, Maximal, kill me. I am but one of many in the service of my Liege," Tarantulas sneered up at the victor of the fight, "Others will come."

"I ain't gonna kill you," Rattrap spat, "Primus knows I should, but I ain't. I'm gonna _use_ ya."

"Use... hehe, me?"

"Yeah, to deliver a message. When you get back to your Hub, tell your Liege that Jhiaxis' little CNA experiments worked... and the last survivor of that line is comin' to finish what the first of it started... and he won't like what'll happen when I get there," Rattrap shrugged slowly, "I never bought into those Autobot or Maximal ideals about how to fight with honor, fairness and respect... Consider that your warning."

Resting his blaster against his shoulder and taking his foot off of Tarantulas, Rattrap turned and began walking towards the entrance to the spider's lair - he had a shuttle to catch off Earth with the other Maximals. Behind him, Tarantulas rolled to his knees and pulled a blaster of his own from subspace, aiming it at the Maximal's retreating form. Spinning around, Rattrap brought his blaster down from resting on his shoulder to his hip and fired it, taking Tarantulas' head clean off with one shot to the neck.

Rattrap cocked his head to one side as Tarantulas' head landed on the lair floor and the Cybertronian's body fell to the ground, "When ya pull yerself together, remember what I told ya."

Subspacing his blaster, Rattrap turned and left.


End file.
